Dragon x Fairy
by kittytampon
Summary: gajevy Levy has a new boyfriend and to the disappoint of many, it's not Gajeel. But, as the two go on a mission, that could easily change. this is also on my wattpad @kittytampon. use to be 21kittykatbar rated m for language
1. Chapter 1 Gajeel's POV

The sky was empty. There were no dragons in the sky. Gajeel looked up, all around the sky. He looked and looked. Then, he shut down. What happened? Where did his father go? Why did he leave me? Why does everyone leave? Warm tears streamed down his face. Everything then, when black. Gajeel woke up in a cold sweat. Still, there were no dragons in the sky. He hadn't seen his father, Metallica, the iron dragon, in 7 years. At this point, he didn't care. If he ever saw him again, he would kick his ass for leaving him. Or just cuss him out. Probably both. He had no idea why Natsu and Wendy were so forgiving. He uses that they just missed their parents. Anyway, it would stop the nightmares. Natsu has the same nightmares. So does Wendy. Not that he had told either one of them. The only person he has ever told about the nightmares was Levy. He had no idea what he would do without her. She kept him sane. He laid down in his bed. Was today the day? No. He needed the perfect moment. He didn't want things to get messed up. She meant too much. He got up and faced the day. The day started as usual. He walked through town to the guild hall. The only one there was probably the master. Or Mirajane. He didn't care either way. Levy didn't come till about 10. It was 6 now. "Crap," he thought. He didn't normally wake up this early. He didn't normally have to wait this long for Levy. He needed her to come as soon as possible. He needed to get a job today. He wanted to get one with Levy. Then there might be a good time to confess his feeling for her. How he really saw her as. He just needed those two loons to get lost. He hated them. They were so stupid. They never had protected Levy. They couldn't. But, there was something about Jet. He especially hated Jet. He did care much about Dory. He wasn't much of a threat.

Gajeel came to a stop. He had reached the Guildhall. "Damn," he thought. Now that he had stopped walking, he realized how mad he had gotten. Thinking about Jet always did that to him. He gave himself a minute to calm down. Then, went inside. To his surprise, Jet was there. And without either Levy or Droy. He was never at the guildhall without at least one of the two. Gajeel looked around to double check. Neither one was there. He looked again at Jet. It looked like he had stayed at the hall overnight, drinking. He walked deeper into the hall. Mirajane was there at the counter. No surprise there. She waved and smiled at him. Gajeel nodded back. He walked to the job request board when he felt a pair of eyes on the back of his head. Watching him. He looked back over his shoulder. It was Jet. Looking extremely drunk. Gajeel decided to ignore it, but Jet called out to him. "Gajeel!," Jet said in a loud, drunk voice. Gajeel turned around. "I know how you feel about Levy. I've seen the way you look at her. But, you can forget it. She would never go for a guy like you," he said while swinging his empty mug. "Jet!," Mirajane shouted. "Be nice to Gajeel. You don't know that. She might like him, or she might like you! Levy hasn't said anything." It was too late. Jet had struck a nerve with Gajeel. He had always secretly feared that he wasn't good enough for her. Gajeel walked up to Jet and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Gajeel looked into Jet's eyes. So full of hatred. Gajeel dropped Jet to the floor. There was no point. He walked back to the request board and started looking for a job. Completely ignoring Jet.

Gajeel settled on a job a little while later. It asked for two or more people to help this guy to find some sort of lost, magical ring. It didn't sound too dangerous. He waited for the master to arrive at the guild to approve of the quest. As he waited, he decided to get himself breakfast. He had Mirajane hold the quest for him as he went out. Gajeel went to a nearby coffee shop. He got there and got his pitch black coffee. Then, started walking back to the guild. He drank his coffee slowly on the way back. He re- ran what Jet said to him earlier. He hated to admit it, but he had a point. Why would Levy like, dare say, love, someone like him? And after everything he had done before joining Fairy Tail. He was a real asshole then. He still is. Why did he keep hoping and dreaming? No. He had to stop thinking like that. He had to have some sort of faith in himself. He wasn't going to let Levy go so easily. Before her and after his father left, he hid away any emotion and became cruel. He stayed away from any type of love. From friends. From family. But that was the past. He had Levy now. Only as a friend, but it was a start. "She does care for me," Gajeel said to himself out loud. He, once again, reached the guild hall. More people had come to the guild looking for jobs, or just simply hanging out. Lucy was talking to Mirajane. Not an uncommon sight. Cana had arrived and, of course, was drinking. It seemed that Natsu and Gray hadn't arrived yet. Macao was waiting for Wakaba. Nothing abnormal. People fighting, people laughing, people just being carefree. Fairy Tail was nothing like Phantom Lord. It was better.

Gajeel walked up to the counter. Mirajane looked away from Lucy for a minute and saw Gajeel. She turned to Lucy and said something. Lucy turned to Gajeel. "Gajeel," she said. "Mira and I need to talk to you." Gajeel gave the two a confused look. Mirajane pointed to the back room. Gajeel followed both Mirajane and Lucy to the back room. Lucy closed the door behind them. Gajeel said,"Ok, what do you two want?" "We want to talk to you about Levy," Lucy said. Gajeel was taken aback. Why did they care? He just wanted to get out of the room. Mirajane came up to him. "Levy means a lot to us and a lot to the guild. Lucy and I are her best friends. We don't want her just dating anyone. But, we think you will be good for her. We want to help in any way to get you guys together," Mirajane said. Gajeel was in total shock. Do they like him? After him hurting both of them so much? Yeah, Fairy Tail was nothing like Phantom Lord.


	2. Chapter 2 Levy's POV

As Levy woke up, she thought of last night. She was hanging out at the guild with Gajeel and the rest of the guild family. It wasn't any type of special event or anything. They just were all there, enjoying each other. It was moments like last night that made everyone in Fairy Tail family. She had laughed and smiled along with all her friends. Then Levy's mind went to Gajeel. He even seemed happy. That brought a smile to her face. She turned around to see the time on the clock. It was 8:30. Gajeel probably wasn't even up. She got up and got dress. She was wearing a simple white dress that came down to her knees. Her orange headband around her bluenette hair and black boots. She walked into her small kitchen and pour herself a cup of coffee. She really did need to get a job today. Rent was due at the end month and she was completely broke. Her past jobs with Gajeel on the last couple months seemed to go fine. In fact, it had strengthened their friendship. They had saved each other's lives again and again. They worked well together. Levy saw no problem with it.

Levy had no idea on exactly what her feelings were for Gajeel. She talked about it a lot with Lucy. Her best friend. Lucy and Mirajane. They both said that her heart was saying that they were much more than just friends. She wasn't so sure. Levy knew that she cared about him, but that was about it. The rest she was unsure. Did she like him? Or dare say love him? Why couldn't her love life be like it was in her books? So much simpler. That's when her stomach interrupted her thoughts with a loud grumble. "I'll just eat at the guild," she muttered to herself and books. She got out her travel bag and packed it. She left her apartment saying goodbye to her books and good coffee. As she walked to the guild hall, she realized that the sky was getting dark with heavy rain clouds. Levy hurried to the guild to stay out of the rain. When she walked into the hall, she sensed that something was off. That's when she saw Jet. She looked at him surprised. He returned a surprised look. He didn't think that she would be here this early. He never wanted her to see him drunk like this. Jet looked down at the table. Avoiding Levy's eyes. She walked over to him. "What's wrong Jet?" she asked with her voice full of concern. Jet responded,"Nothing. I'm fine." His voice cracked when he said "fine". Levy's eyes narrowed. It was obvious that he was lying through his teeth. He never got drunk unless he was upset or there was some sort of special event like a holiday event. Levy sat down next to him and started to play with his hands. That's when Gajeel came out of the back room with Lucy and Mirajane. Gajeel met Levy's eyes with an emotion she couldn't identify. Then Gajeel looked at Jet. His face darkened for only a second before returning to his normal scowl.

Levy was now extremely confused. But, she went up to Gajeel anyway. Acting like nothing was on her mind and that nothing was bothering her. "What's up shrimp," he said to Levy. She replied,"Nothing meanie. What was that with you, Mira, and Lucy?" His faced tighten for a minute. "They wanted to talk to me real quick about something," Gajeel said. Levy's eyes, for the second time narrowed. First Jet and now Gajeel? Something didn't add up. The two guy were hiding something. Well, maybe Gajeel, but this was way out of their normal character. She sighed heavily. Gajeel looked at her with a slightly concerned look. "Is there anything wrong?" he asked. She moved her head side to side to say no. That's when Jet caught wind of their conversation. His blood began to boil. His eye just narrowed. For now at least. Gajeel walked to the bar, followed by Levy. He got the job Mirajane was holding and showed it to Levy. "You got a job?" she asked. He smirked. Levy's heart did one of those flutters that got her so confused. She loved when he did that. "Yeah, shrimp. I thought that you and I could do this one together. I have money for this month's rent. But, I know you don't yet," He said. Levy slapped him lightly on the arm. He just laughed. Levy said,"Alright, I have to take care of a couple things before we go. I'll meet you at the station around noon?" Gajeel nodded his head yes. He turned to leave when Lucy threw a wink at him. Gajeel walked out of the hall with a slight smile on his face.

Levy returned to where Jet was thinking. He looked really pissed off. He looked at Gajeel with two eyes filled to the brim of hatred. Levy sat down next to him. "What is it? What is going on Jet," Levy asked voice full with concern, but firm. He looked her dead in the eye and responded,"I hate him. He thinks he can have what ever he wants. He is a total jackass. I know he will hurt you again." Levy began to interrupt when he raised his hand up telling her to stop. "Not in the way he did before the guild, but probably just as bad," he finished. At this point, Levy was mad. "You had said you had forgiven him! You and Droy and I all forgave him! It's all in the past now Jet. Let it go," she said. Nearly yelling. Jet got up and stormed out of the building. He had enough of it. Levy just sat there. Fuming. What the hell had gotten into him anyway? He normally wasn't like this at all. She looked at the clock by the bar. It was 10. She walked over to the counter and ordered some breakfast and sat next to Lucy.

"What was all that with Jet?" she asked. "I don't even know," Levy responded tiredly. "I've never seen him go off like that for no reason." Lucy nodded. That's when Natsu and Grey came in. Natsu walked right up to Lucy and put his arm around her. They finally made it official a couple weeks ago. Mira nearly went crazy and practically started planning their wedding. Levy started to think. Juvia and Grey had made it official not too long ago too. Erza and Jellal might as well be married by now. Who knows? By the time she came back, they might be engaged. That's when she realized. A lot of her friends were all in relationships and she was just being her. In fact, a lot of her friends probably have found who they were going to be together with for the rest of their lives. She looked at Lucy with Natsu and how happy they seemed. Sure, they had fights, but it didn't any real affect them all that much. They were happy together.

Natsu went off to talk to someone in the guild when Lucy and Levy had returned to their conversation. Levy said," You know, the relation you have with Natsu is the something to be jealous of." Lucy laughed. "Don't worry Levy. I can see what's going on in that head of yours, you will find someone. Probably soon. In fact. I think that one special guy is right under your nose," Lucy said with a smile. "Besides, my relationship with Natsu isn't perfect. Nor will it ever be." Levy looked at her best friend. "Right under my nose you say? He must be a total midget," Levy said. Mira laughed and Lucy started choking on her coffee.


	3. Chapter 3 Jet's POV

Gajeel needed to die in a hole.

At least, in his opinion. Gajeel was a threat. Dory wasn't. That's why they were friends. Part of Jet's heart would die if Levy liked Gajeel back. He had given Levy his heart completely. Not only was she pretty, she was smart. She was perfect. Of course, she had flaws. She was only human. But he didn't care. She was perfect to him. And that's all that mattered before Gajeel came into the picture.

The first time he noticed that Gajeel had feelings for Levy was when he saved her from Laxus' attack. That was over a year ago. And Jet could see that Gajeel's feelings for her had only grown stronger over time. The worse part was that Levy might like Gajeel back. Like Mira had said. Levy hadn't told anyone. If she did, no one was telling. The possibility of Levy liking Gajeel back made him jealous. And last night didn't help. He saw Gajeel with his arm around her. How many times did he do the same, only to have her push his arm off? Sure, she was slightly drunk at the time and she didn't push him to arm off every time, but still. I was definitely enough to get him jealous.

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE***

just a short bit on jet


	4. Chapter 4 Gajeel's POV

Walking out of the guild, Gajeel felt like a badass. But, was it really that obvious that Gajeel had feelings for Levy? Lucy and Mirajane told time and time again that see had no idea that he liked her. Thank God. He would die if she found out. He wanted it to come out of his own mouth. Not someone else's. Lucy and Mirajane wanted to talk about it. They told him that he better make a move quick. Levy probably just need a little push. They both said that they were 100% sure that she liked him back. She just hadn't fully realized it yet. That put Gajeel's mind at ease a bit. But the fact she "hadn't realized it yet" got him nervous. He needed to talk to Juvia about it before he went on the mission. She was the only one he told that knew how deeply he felt. Juvia was his only friend from Phantom Lord. He walked back to his apartment. When he got there, Pantherlily was up. He was waiting for Gajeel's return. As Gajeel walked into the apartment, Lily came straight up to him. "Did you get the a job?" he asked. "Yeah," Gajeel said. He knew what the cat would ask next. "Did you get Levy to work with you," he asked. Gajeel shot a wicked glare at Lily. At times, he really did hate that cat. "Yeah. Why it matter to you," Gajeel replied. Filled with irritation. Lily snickered. "Pack you bag then. And for God's sake, make a move already."

10 minutes later, Gajeel and Lily were walking to Juvia's place. When they reached Juvia, Gajeel knocked on the door. About a minute later, she answered, not surprised to see Gajeel. "Juvia heard that Gajeel-kun got a job with Levy-san. Are you going to tell Levy-san," she asked. Gajeel nodded,"Mirajane and Lucy will kill me if I don't." Juvia smiled," Juvia should have known that Lucy-san would do something like that." That's when Juvia noticed she hadn't invited Gajeel in. She waved her hand to her apartment. The placed looked the same and still smelled of water. But, there was a new scent he never had smelled here before. Grey. Gajeel turned to Juvia. "Was Grey here recently,"He asked. Juvia's face busted out in a crimson blush. She only had nodded. Gajeel didn't pry into why. He knew that they were together and it wasn't really any of his business. He walked to the kitchen. Juvia had disappeared into her bedroom. When she came back out, she got out a necklace. Gajeel looked at it, confused. Juvia smiled,"It's to Levy-san. After you tell her and she says yes, Juvia wants you to give her this." He nodded. The necklace had a pen pendant on it. The pen was made out of iron.

Gajeel left soon after that. He knew that Levy was waiting. It was about noon. Knowing her, she was at the station right at noon. On the spot. It was one of the many things that made her adorable. When he got there, Levy was indeed was there. She was sitting on the bench by the ticket booth, reading. When he reached her, she stood up. She said hi to Lily. Then said hi to Gajeel. "Well shrimp, you ready," he asked. She shot him a look. Other than that, she simply nodded.


	5. Chapter 5 Levy's POV

As Levy and Gajeel boarded the train, she was bursting with excitement. He would be so happy for her once she told him the news. They took their seat. Pantherlily sat on Levy' lap, curled up, and fell asleep. Levy looked at Gajeel. He had his usual frown set in place. "Gajeel," she said,"I have some news to tell you." He looked up,"what's up" Levy smiled. "I have a date as soon as we come back from the mission." She was so happy. They guy was great. Sure, he wasn't part of the guild or anything. But, he was Mage a powerful one. He was handsome and so sweet. And the best part was, he loved reading! She had known the guy for about a year now, and she couldn't believe that he had been interested in her. Gajeel's eyes widen in shock. "What the fuck?" he said. It wasn't really a question. Levy was surprised by this reaction. She thought he would be happy for her. "Who is this guy? What guild is he from? What is his name? Does anyone else know?," Gajeel asked in rapid fire. "His name Hibiki Lates from Blue Pegasus. No one else knows. I wanted to tell you first. He is a really sweet guy that cares for me," she responded. Slightly hurt by Gajeel's reaction. Gajeel eyes narrowed. He knew this guy. He was a pretty boy. He had hated him when he first saw him. Now, he hated him even more. What was this guy doing with his mate! Gajeel looked at Levy,"Why him? You could do so much better! You deserve better!" At this point, Levy was crushed. Gajeel was supposed to be happy for her! He had an emotion in his eyes that she couldn't identify. "Ok. If you going be like that, I'll sit somewhere for the rest of the ride!" She said. She was at her limit with Gajeel. She picked Lily up, placed him on the seat next other and got up to leave. Gajeel grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry Levy. I over reacted. I was surprised that's all. But, if that jackass hurts you. I will punch in his face." She laughed.

The rest of the train ride was quite in between the two. Levy was already thinking about her date when she got back. She had already picked out what to wear and everything. Knowing Lucy, she was going to be so excited and happy for her. She will help her get ready. But maybe she will have Gajeel's reaction. "Not," she thought to herself. He was just concerned. He didn't want to see her get hurt. That was all it was. Then what was that look in his eye? Probably was just concern. Pantherlily got up. He looked at Gajeel. A look of concern passed over his face. Lucky for Levy, she didn't see. She was, of course, reading. Gajeel was sitting across from her, lost in thought. "What are you reading?" He asked. Levy looked up surprised. He never asked what she was reading. "A book of quotes," she responded. "Want to read some of them to me shorty?" He asked. This cause levy to be surprised for the third time by her partner on this train ride. "Of course!" She responded. "You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. Jane Austin, Pride and Prejudice. My very soul demands you. Jane Eyre." At this point, Gajeel interrupted."Is there anything but mushy crap in this book?" He asked. Levy laughed. She turned a few pages. "When you fear a foe, fear crushes your strength; and this weakness gives strength to your opponents. William Shakespeare. Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. William Shakespeare.

As the train stopped at the three's destination, Gajeel became extremely quite. Not like him at all. All quote that Levy had read had an affect on him. Especially the last one. Was he that minute too late? He hoped not. Levy noticed that the red-eyed man was thinking a lot over this entire time so far. She elbowed him gently. He looked at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "Naw, I'm fine," he replied. "Then stopped thinking. That's my thing," she said. He smirked. "Alright, shrimp. I'll leave thinking to you," he said with the first smiled she had seen since this morning. She slapped him on the arm. "Meanie!"


	6. Chapter 6 Gajeel's POV

What the fuck?! All this time, Gajeel thought that Jet was his biggest problem. He was dead wrong. Panterlily had been looking at Gajeel with concern since he woke up from his nap. Gajeel simply growled at him. He looked at the girl next to him. She was really beautiful, but also very tired. He wasn't surprised by this. She has been doing stuff all day and was up late last night. He felt really guilty. He knew that part of it was him. She really did need rest. "Shrimp, what about getting a hotel? You look like your about to fall asleep standing up?" She just simply nodded and then start to fall. Gajeel caught her before she fell to the ground. That's weird. She was never like this. Then again, she has been through a lot today. He was walking to the nearest hotel when he ran into the last person he wanted to see. The idiot that had stolen his mate. "Levy!" Hibiki called out. He ran over to Gajeel. "Is she hurt? Is she going to be ok? Here, let me have her,"Hibiki said in a rush. Gajeel unwillingly placed Levy on her new boyfriend's arms. "Nothing happened to her. She is just tired. She has had a long day," Gajeel said. Being more bitter than usual. "Thank you Gajeel. I mean it. She means a lot to me," Hibiki said. Gajeel understood that. He still wanted to punch the guy's face in. Panterlily could figure this a laughed silently to himself.

When the group reached a decent hotel in town, Gajeel made sure that Hibiki got a different room than Levy. He was sure as hell wasn't going to let him get a room with her without her consent. Gajeel's room was on the left side of Levy's. Hibiki's room was on the right. When they reached the room, Hibiki laid Levy down on the bed. Gajeel put her pack nearby. "Thank you again Gajeel. It means a lot, " Hibiki said. "It's nothin'," Gajeel replied. "Why are ya here anyway pretty boy?" He couldn't help but be curious. "I got a job to help set up a party for some rich guy. I just needed some extra cash and it sounded easy." The Blue Pegasus member responded. He nodded.

"Can I talk to ya for a minute,e" Gajeel asked. A major part of him just wanted to kill the guy. But, he kept that part under control. "Sure." Gajeel walked out of Levy's room. He didn't want to wake her up. He walked into his room, followed by Hibiki. Lily was already there. Sensing something was going to happen, he transformed into his bigger side. "Now, I want to get to to yer brain," Gajeel started,"If you hurt Levy in any way. I will kill ya. She is everything to me. So if ya so much as lay a hand on her..." Hibiki smirked. "I see," he replied," She is your mate isn't she? I'm sorry, but I'm not letting her go anytime soon. I fell in love with her the minute I saw her. And then, waited a year. I worked my ass off. She is mine." Gajeel looked at the golden hair boy. "Well, I wouldn't be placing any bets. Cuz she is my mate. And I will never give up bastard." Hibiki left after that. Gajeel knew that things got ten times more complicated. He didn't mind. She will be his. Panterlily smiled,"You are right." Gajeel looked at his partner. "She isn't in love with him. She would have snuggled closer to him when she was in her arms. Instead, she stayed put," Lily explained. Gajeel looked at the Exceed. Damn, he was smart.

The next morning, Gajeel was exhausted. He hardly slept at all. He walked down stairs. On missions, Levy was always up early, that's why he wasn't surprised to see her at the breakfast bar. She turned around to him. She smiled. He smirked. No Hibiki in sight. "What do ya remember from last night shorty?" She slapped him lightly in the chest. She said,"I remember falling asleep standing up and being picked up. Then being set down on a bed. I woke up for a second and saw golden hair..." "Hibiki is here," Gajeel said plainly. He looked at the bluenette Mage. She looked surprised. "He didn't tell me that he got a job, " she said," at least that explains the golden hair." She continued to get food. Gajeel grabbed a plate and got some food. Lily got kiwi. They sat at a nearby table. The three joked around like usual. Lily sat on Levy's lap like he always did. Levy and Lily had a special friendship. Nothing like the one between Gajeel and Levy, but yet, similar.

When The trio was joking around, Hibiki came downstairs to the breakfast bar.


	7. Chapter 7 Hibiki's POV

Hibiki woke up in a cold sweat. He was such a fool! Everyone knows not to get in the way of a dragon and his mate. Yet, that is exactly what he is doing. His act of bravery last night was just that, an act. But, he couldn't give up. Not after losing Gwen. His heart would break and never come back together. Levy was that glue that had held him together this long. He needed her. He hoped that she had needed him. When she had said yes, he had felt so happy. Then that bastard showed up. That iron dragon slayer bastard. It was rare for a dragon's mate not to fall in love with their dragon. He would need to keep them as separate as he possibly could. It was his only option.

When he walked downstairs to the breakfast area, he saw the trio. Levy shining with that stupid cat in her lap. And Gajeel sitting across from her. They where laughing. Laughing. Part of him wanted to give up on the plan. But, the rest of him got angry. Levy was his. Not Gajeel's. He walked to the group. He knew that Gajeel had smelled him when he was on the stairs. But Levy had normal senses. When he reached the bottom floor, Levy's head snapped up to him. She smiled. She got up and ran to him. She reached up to hug his neck. He put her arms around her waist. For a minute, he completely forgot about Gajeel. Hell, he completely forgot about the world. All that mattered was the girl in his arms. "Good morning," Levy said. "Good morning Levy," Hibiki responded. She pulled away. Hibiki came back to reality. He turned to the table where Gajeel and Panterlily where sitting. Gajeel's eyes were filled with pain and anger. Hibiki smirked. He was winning. Levy was definitely his

"Excuse me," Gajeel said. He left the room with Panterlily right on his heels. Levy looked after her friends with concern. "I wonder what's up with those two," she said. "They never act this weird." Hibiki shrugged. So, she didn't know about Gajeel's feelings for her. Ha, he was such a coward. She will never figure it out. "Maybe he needed some fresh air, " Hibiki said out loud. He looked at the bluenette. He did on of his poses that drove women crazy. She simply laughed. "You know that never works on me," the small bookworm said with a smile. He simply smiled. Then moved on to get some food. He came back to the table where Levy had sat down at. She looked out of the window to the outside. A worried look was on her face. "Stop worrying Levy, " Hibiki told her as he sat down. "I sure it's nothing." Levy turned her face to him. "I know, I know." She said. Hibiki smiled. Then moved forward slightly to stroke her blue hair. Levy smiled. Then turned her head back to the window. He took his hand away.

"You care about him a lot don't you," Hibiki asked. She nodded. He made a mental note to go through Gajeel's records with his archive magic. He knew about the attack on Fairy Tail's guild hall. And about Levy and her two friends hanging up on that tree. He knew that was all Gajeel's doing. It pissed him off. "Can I ask you a question?"Hibiki said. Levy turned her complete attention to him,"Of course." "How could you forgive a monster like him?"Hibiki asked. She looked surprised," What?" Hibiki looked at her. "How could you forgive Gajeel after what he did to you? After what he did to your two friends? After beating your best friend Lucy? After destroying your guild hall?" She looked at him, even more, surprised than before. "At first, I was afraid of him. But, he is not the same person. He is better." "But, how can you be sure of that? What if he hurts you or someone you care about again"

Now Levy was pissed. "What is up with you? You aren't like this usually," Levy said. "I just don't like him," Hibiki said. Devoid of any emotion. Levy looked at her new boyfriend with slight horror. "You see him as a monster, don't you?" He nodded,"I look at him as a monster. It is who he is. Look at everything he did in the past. How can you think he is anything different?" Levy's brown eyes narrowed. "Hibiki. He is my friend. He has proved himself to me. He has saved my life more times than I could count. I have saved his life. And I will keep doing so till I die. Now stop being an ass about him." Now it was Hibiki's turn to be surprised. He had never seen Levy like this. Her tone was downright hostile. But protective of Gajeel. That only made him mad. "Don't you see," he hissed. "I don't want you to get hurt or worse, killed by him. I'm trying to protect you." "Thank you for you 'protection', but I can take care of myself," Levy spat. "I don't need you to protect me from Gajeel." "Really?!"Hibiki said. He was really pissed now. "He has more to his past than what he did to Fairy Tail. He has probably done worse. He was part of Phantom Lord for God's sake. Who know what he has done. What he is capable of." "He is my friend. My ally. He is part of fairy tail now," she said. "He is part of the family there. I don't care about his past. All I care about is the present and the future. I will never need to protect from him." "Be real with me. He is dangerous," Hibiki shot at her. "No, he isn't," Levy shot back. "He is a monster! He is a selfish asshole," Hibiki said angrily. Not caring if they were drawing attention at this point. "How could you say that? He is not an asshole. If anyone was being an asshole right now, it would be you," Levy said. Dripping with anger.

At this point, Levy was way pissed. She got up to leave. Hibiki grabbed her wrist. "I don't want you around him." She looked at him. Her eyes filled with firey anger. "Like I care." She pulled away and stormed away. Shit Hibiki thought to himself. That didn't go the way he planned. He didn't want to get into a fight like that. He stared at his untouched food. Why was she being so difficult? He wanted to keep the two separate. Now, she was probably going off to him. When did things become this complicated? Last night, when he figured out that Levy was Gajeel's mate. He couldn't interfere in their job. It was against the laws set by the Magic Council. But, after his job today, he could stay around to watch the two. That was he probably would do. His stomach growled loudly. He looked down at his untouched food. He had no choice. He ate his food swiftly. Then went up to his room.


	8. Chapter 8 Levy's POV

After Levy's fight with Hibiki, she stormed outside. Gajeel was a good person! He was no monster! How in God's name could he think such a thing! She shook her head. Glad that she was outside, she walked around. That's when she ran into Gajeel smoking a cigarette. "I didn't know you smoked," Levy said. Gajeel turned around, surprised. He was talking to Panterlily, who was in his big form. "What are ya doin here shorty?"Gajeel asked. "Hibiki and I got into a fight," Levy replied. Gajeel looked surprised. After seeing her run into his arms, he didn't think they would start fighting so soon. Levy bit her lip. She could tell where this conversation was going. "I've got a question for ya shrimp," Gajeel said. "Do you love Hibiki?" That took levy by surprise. She looked up at her tall partner. He was looking out to the distance. And was taking a long drag of his cigarette. "In all honesty. I really don't know. Why do you ask?"Levy replied. "I know someone that has fallen in love with ya completely. In fact, you are the only one that he can love. I promised him to keep an eye on yer," Gajeel said. Then turned his face to look at her.

That is when Levy noticed something in Gajeel's eye that she had only seen a couple times before. Pain. Gajeel was not one to let his emotions show. He surrounded himself with his walls. It has taken Levy a long time to go through those walls. But, in all honesty, Gajeel had let her in. So she couldn't help but wonder, that maybe Lucy and Mira where right? But, she was so confused. She wanted to love Hibiki! But, her heart told her something very different. In fact, ever since that iron dragon slayer saved her from Laxus' attack, it's been telling her something else. But, it was a horrible time for this. She had a boyfriend! One that she knew did love her. Even though he was an ass at times. "Gajeel," she said. "Yeah shorty?" "I am sorry…" There was a silence that seem to last forever. "But, we have to get started on the job!"Levy said. Saving herself. They went back into the hotel. They grabbed their packs from their rooms and left. Hibiki had already checked himself out.

They hit the road. They needed to be at the guy's house at noon to get the full information on the job. When they reached the place, a maid let them in. So, this guy obviously had some money Levy thought. The maid led them to an office. An older man with graying, thinning hair was waiting for them in a chair, facing a window. Levy, Lily, and Gajeel entered the room quietly and waited for the man. He said,"What is the most important item to you? Or the most important person? What if they were taking away from you? What wouldn't you do to get them back…" The man still faced the window. "Um… sir? " the maid said behind the trio. Her voice filled with concern. "It's ok Avery. I'm fine, " said the man, turning around. His face etched with hard lines. But his eyes. They were a brilliant blue. Obviously, once bright with life. But, now dull with pain. "You must be the Fairy Tail wizards. My name is Edward Smithson, " he said. Levy replied,"My name is Levy Mcgarden. The man next to me is Gajeel Redfox. The cat's name is Pantherlily." "It's good to meet all of you. The job I have for you is extremely important. The ring I am asking you to find was my wife's. She used ring magic. It was her favorite and most powerful ring. A man has stolen it from me. I wish for you to get it back." Levy nodded her in understanding.

"Two questions," Gajeel said. "Who is this man and why did he steal yer ring?" "Excellent questions," Edward responded. "The man stole the ring because, he was in love with my wife. We all were friends at one point. The three of us. But, she had fallen in love with me. Not him. So, after she died, he stole her ring. The man's name is Robert Jones. He having a party tonight. Avery will have more information on the subject." He finished, looking exhausted. Avery ushered Levy, Gajeel, and Lily out of the room. Levy couldn't help to look back at the old man. Her heart felt so sorry for the man. The man had turned back to the window. His eyes completely fogged with pain.

Avery led the two to a large room. It was a ballroom. Avery turned around to the confused trio. "The master wants you two to go to that party and take the ring back. You will act like a couple that has been recently married, " Avery said. "I hope you two know how to dance. I am sure at some point you will have to." Levy looked at Avery in utter shock. We have to act like we are married?! What the hell? She turned her hazel eyes to Gajeel. He was completely calm on the surface. "What is the plan after we get in?" He asked the maid. "About an hour in, Levy will ask someone where the bathroom is. 10 minutes after that, Gajeel will go looking for the men's. You two will meet in a hallway." At this point, Avery took a moment to pull out a map. She pointed to a hallway off of a ballroom. "From this hallway, you will go to his office. It must be somewhere around there,"Avery finished explaining.

Levy's mind was spinning, she was going to have to Hibiki. As much as she didn't want to. "What about Pantherlily?" she asked Avery. "He will go with you. It's not uncommon for Exceeds to go to parties like this." Now Gajeel and Pantherlily were surprised by Avery. They had no idea that she knew what an Exceed was. Or that Lily was one. "Come back here at 7. We have garments for you to wear. The party goes from 9 to 12. Midnight. You are dismissed." Gajeel nodded goodbye to Avery and started to leave. Lily on his heels. As soon as he left, Levy turned to Avery. "Did you know Edward's wife? Sorry, I had to ask," Levy said to the maid. Avery smiled,"I did. Her name was Victoria. She was kind to me. I miss her." "I see,"Levy replied. The she reached out to give Avery a hug. She needed one.

"Thank you," Avery said. Tears starting to stream down her face.


	9. Chapter 9 Pantherlily's POV

At this point, he was extremely worried about Gajeel. The raven-hair man was beginning to fall apart. First the dreams. Waking up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat. Then going outside to smoke a cigarette. And now, Hibiki was in the picture. Taking Levy away. Lily loved, still loves, Levy. She was family to him. But, Gajeel was alway the main person in his life. Now, Lily's rock was starting to fall apart for waves after wave of hidden emotion. It was eating him alive. At this point, there was no going back for Gajeel. He had completely fallen in love with her. And had given her his heart. Not like it was a choice for the dragon-slayer. As soon as he started to have feelings for her, there was no going back.

Lily remembered the conversation they had this morning. "What are you going to do?" he asked Gajeel. Gajeel replied,"I don't know. I really don't know. The original plan is out of the picture now. At the end of the mission, I was going to take her out. Then, while walking to a nice restaurant, stop her. Tell her, then give her the necklace from Juvia." The man looked like a wreck at this point. He knew that she hadn't fallen in love with Jet or Droy. Not in that way. But, Hibiki. Lily knew Gajeel's well enough at this point to know what he was thinking. That she preferred a pretty boy. Someone that she thought could protect her. He also knew what was going through Gajeel's mind at this exact moment. The acting like a couple. He hated that they had to do that. That will only kill another part of Gajeel's heart. They reached a decent looking restaurant. The two parties were quite. Too lost in their own thoughts, both waiting for Levy. When the bluenette popped up, Lily smelled tears. He looked at Gajeel. His face was full of concern. He had smelled it too. She sat down. Her eyes were slightly red.

"What's wrong," Gajeel and his black excel said at the same moment. Levy turned to the two and smiled. "Nothing. I'm ok," she told the two. Lily went to sit in Levy's lap and then turned to look at Gajeel. Gajeel red eyes looked over Levy with a look of concern. He never pried with Levy. With anyone actually. A waitress stopped by to give the three menus. Pantherlily shared one with Levy. He was soon disappointed to see that there was no kiwi on the menu. Levy noticed and laughed. "I'll pick you up some kiwi," she promised. Pantherlily's couldn't help but to smile. She turned her attention back to the menu. Gajeel's eyes were hidden behind the menu. Not letting Pantherlily know what he was thinking. The waitress came by again to take their orders. Levy orders a chicken sandwich while Gajeel ordered burgers and fries. The waitress took away the menus. Letting Lily get a look at his friend's face before his walls came up. It was one of extreme pain. It seemed that Levy noticed it too.

"Gajeel, what's wrong?" she asked. It was her turn to have her voice full of concern. Gajeel just simply smiled," Nothing shorty." She looked at him with her hazel eyes, clearly not buying it. She was about to ask him again when Patherlily interrupted. He knew he needed to change the subject. Anything but the job, Hibiki, or Gajeel's emotions. "How soon do you want to get a job when we return?" He asked. It was the first thing that popped in his mind. Gajeel shot the small cat a grateful look. Soon, they were all laughing. Being happy. Well, at least, Levy seemed to be happy. Lily could sense pain in the iron-dragon's voice. Concern and worry just continued to build up in Lily. But, the two acted happily. Then, for the second time today, Hibiki showed up.

He walked in the restaurant. Women immediately started swooning all around him. He brushed them off and walked to their table. Levy, Gajeel, and Lily all tensed up.

He sat down next to Levy. Pantherlily jumped off Levy's lap and went to the other side of the table to join Gajeel. Every muscle in Gajeel's body tensed up. His eyes watching every move that Hibiki made. "I'm sorry Levy,"Hibiki said,"But, my opinion is the same." Levy turned her head to face Hibiki's. "So does mine. And it's not going to change," she replied, fiery. A small smile escaped to Gajeel's face. So did one on Lily's. "Well, she and I are goin' to be on a job tonight. We have to act like a couple. I'm sure you don't mind, since it's part of the job," Gajeel said innocently. Hibiki's eyes narrowed at Gajeel. "Is this true?" he asked Levy. She nodded. Gajeel looked at Hibiki. Obviously loving the fact he made the golden hair mage uncomfortable. At this point, Lily was getting concerned. Gajeel was acting awfully cocky. Hibiki was obviously pissed. This couldn't be good. "I don't mind Gajeel," Hibiki said,"After all, it is only just a job." That hit a nerve, but Gajeel remained calm. Lily and Levy where looking between the two. Both knowing that this could end up badly. That's when the waitress showed up. The two alpha males still staring at each other.

Gajeel's red eyes against Hibiki's brown ones


	10. Chapter 10 Gajeel's POV

The rest of the time at the restaurant was uneasy. At least for Levy and Lily. Gajeel and Hibiki were still staring it out. Not willing to be the one that dropped out. At the end of the meal, Hibiki, and Gajeel where the first outside. "Don't you dare try anything metal face," Hibiki said. Gajeel smirked,"I wouldn't, after all, we both know how this is going to end out." Gajeel was totally bluffing. He had no idea if Levy was going to stay with this guy. But, he was sure as hell, he didn't want her with him. He needed her in his life. Badly. But, in the end, it was for her to decide. He couldn't make the decision for her. If this guy made her happy, then he will just keep on living as is. It didn't make him hate Hibiki any less. He still wanted to punch his face in.

"She is mine," Hibiki said," And that's how I plan to keep it for a long time. I worked too long for a monster like you to have her." That struck a nerve. Gajeel's eyes narrowed. He started to approach Hibiki,"I'm a monster now. You don't know the half of what I have had to do. What I had to do to keep people I care about alive. I would never let anyone touch Levy. If ya ever lay a hand on her, you will see why I was called Black Steel Gajeel." Fear appeared in the Blue Pegasus mage for a second. Then it turned into rage. "You already have hurt Levy. And I can never forgive you for that. If there was anyone that had to stay away from, it is YOU." That hit home. Gajeel curled his fist. About to punch Hibiki's face in. That he smelled a calming scent. He felt an electric feeling on his arm. That's when he saw a small hand on his arm. He turned around to see the familiar bluenette. Levy looked at him with concern. Then turned her face to Hibiki. "If you ever call him a monster again, that will be the last time you see me," she said. Her little body shaking in anger. Pantherlily was right beside her in big form. Ready to break up any fight that might have taken place.

Gajeel turned around and walked away. Hibiki started to walk in the other direction. He needed so time by himself. Lily sensed this and led Levy away from both of the two enraged males. As Gajeel walked he thought how many times he that he had thought of himself as a monster. How he couldn't see at night because he heard the screams. Her screams are always the loudest in his head. He decided to take out her two friends first. As soon as they fell, she started to fight back. He remembered being surprised on how much fight that was in this tiny girl. She called out. Calling him a bastard. An asshole. A monster. Saying that her guild, her family, will get him back ten times more for this. That he wouldn't go unpunished. She fought and countinued to fight. When he nailed them up to the tree, she grabbed the hands of the two. One had woken up slightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered,"I promised to protect you. I failed. I'm so sorry Levy." She had smiled weakly, telling him it was ok. Gajeel marveled at the idea of someone so small, being so strong. He had beat her so badly. Yet she continued to fight.

That was part of the reason why her screams were always the loudest in his nightmares. He had fallen in love with her right there. Then was when he swore not to hurt her again. But, as soon as this was over, he would disappear. Stay away from her and everyone and everything. He didn't want to hurt anyone in the first place. He never did. But, hurting her was the last straw. But, even after that, he was forced to hurt others. There were screams of pain were almost as loud as hers. It wasn't fair. They had forgiven him. He didn't get his punishment. His only punishment was the screams and the nightmares. His own thoughts. His own demons. He walked to the nearest park. There wasn't a single tree like the one in Magnolia. He needed to walk to that tree right now and just stare up at it. While smoking his lungs away. He dug in his pocket for his cigarette pack. He took one and lit it slowly.

The screams weren't as loud when he was smoking. He always guessed that it took his mind off it. He looked for a bench. When he found one, he just sat there. He then made his plan. He was going to tell her tonight at the party. At this point, he didn't care about Hibiki. He just wanted her to know. Maybe then, her screams will be silenced. He took out the necklace and stared at it. It was beautiful. It had a delicate silver chain. The iron, the pen-shaped pendant was strong. But it had a grace to it. He imagined the solid script mage wearing it. He could picture how it would fit. It would lay delicately on her collar bones and stop on top of her shirt. He imagined her wearing it every day. Gajeel shook his head. That was only going to be a dream.

He had no idea where Juvia was able to find the necklace. He had planned to make it himself. But, then Juvia showed it to him. Gajeel had her keep it at her place because the shrimp was over all the time. Pantherlily had seen the necklace as well. He agreed that Levy was going to love it. The raven haired man chuckled slightly to himself. It was amazing really. His original plan was to put the necklace on her after she was his. Now, he was going to just give it to her and explain everything. To him, it almost seemed like he was giving up. Knowing that he would never get over it. Get over her. His eyes started to water. Then the voices got louder. And louder. His chest became tight. He soon felt that he couldn't breathe.

That's when a small child, a girl came up to him. The girl asked,"What's wrong?""Nothin' to concern yerself kid. Not yet anyway,"Gajeel choked out of his tight chest. That's when the little girl hugged him. "It's going to be ok. I'm sure she loves you back," the child said. Gajeel was in shocked. First, the girl hugged him, then what she said... But, at this point, Gajeel broke down a little. He slipped off the bench onto his knees and hugged the small girl back. A couple warm tears fell down his face. "How did you know?" he asked. The girl stepped away from him. She smiled,"I can tell you're strong. Grown-ups like you only cry when that special someone is away from them. At least, that's what daddy said." Gajeel looked at the girl with his red eyes, in awe. "Your dad must be really smart. What is your name?" he asked. "Ana. And my thank you. Daddy told me that when mommy left to a better place. He also told me to never give up on that special person. There will only be one."


	11. Chapter 11 Hibiki's POV

After Hibiki's fight with Gajeel, he decided to return to the client. We needed him at four, but he needed to get his mind off that iron dragon slayer. He truly hated him now. Levy was going to probably dump him now. Leave him without anyone to got to. Laugh with. Share a life with. "No," he thought. There was no way he was going to lose. He had already lost Gwen. He reached his clients house. Robert Jones. The maid led him inside. Robert was waiting for him. "Thank you again, young man, for doing this," he said to Hibiki. "It's not a problem sir," he replied with a smile. Then, he began to work. It was going to be an elegant party. The theme colors were light gold, black, and a soft blue. As he was decorating the place, he could help but remember Levy and Gajeel. The colors reminded him of them. How, only in the right setting does the golden and black compliment each other. But, the blue brought life to both the gold and the black. Admittedly, it brought much more life to the black.

After a couple hours, he was finished decorating the place. Robert came down to see and was pleased by Hibiki's work. "You are welcome to come to the party if you wish," Robert said while paying Hibiki for his work. "I'll see," Hibiki said. And with that, Hibiki left the client's home. It was dark out now, being 7 o'clock and all. He returned the hotel and got a new room. He didn't want to be in that old room anyway. When he unlocked the room, he went straight to the bed. He flopped on the bed, not moving for a good ten minutes. He was exhausted. After the job, his fight with Gajeel and his fight with Levy. He felt like he could sleep forever. But, the thought of Gajeel brought his blood to a boil. He wanted the man gone. Thank God that after their job was over, Hibiki could take Levy completely away. Away from the monster, the Gajeel was. That's when an idea struck his mind.

He summoned the archives. He had some time. He was going to find out who Gajeel really was. He typed in Gajeel Redfox. In an instant, thousand of files popped up. Somewhere from Fairy Tail. Those were all good things. Then, he came across an article when Gajeel first joined Fairy Tail. It never was published. "That's odd, "Hibiki thought. He started to read. The article said,"Gajeel Redfox turned to a good guy? After the disbanding of Phantom Lord, the infamous Black Steel Gajeel joined the guild that he had attacked. Is this his way of repenting for his past sins? There is no denying what he did in the past was of the devil, but could he truly change? In my opinion, only if someone helped him change. It can't do it by himself. What are the terrible things he did, you may ask?

To start off, Gajeel joined Phantom Lord at a young age. 14 in fact. He quickly moved up in the rank. Being a dragon-slayer, that was to be expected. A year after he joined the guild, things started to take a dark turn. It started with a couple. The two were walking home from a bar. Both were drunk. They never reached their place that night. A search team was sent, the two were found horribly murdered. Both had the Phantom Lord symbol covering their entire bodies in iron. Similar murders continued to occur. All where previous enemies of the Phantom Lord leader, Jose Portela. Things took an even darker turn a year later. The Element 4 had also joined the Phantom Lord at this point. The Rain Women and Black Steel Gajeel had started to work together. Killings increased. Then, one night, Gajeel was working alone. Three women, murdered. Surprisingly, not raped, according to the police. The normal murders when on. And as time progress, the killings got fewer and fewer. Finally, the attack on Fairy Tail. The Fairy Tail members were probably going to be murdered. But, she wasn't. It brings up the idea, that maybe he was forced to kill?"

After Hibiki finished reading the article, he raced to the bathroom to throw up. Gajeel was much more dangerous than he has first thought. He probably was going to kill Levy that night. He didn't care at this point that he didn't. All he cared about was Levy's safety right now. Where was she he thought. He tried to remember... A party! Which one? How many were going on right now? Wait, he was such an idiot! It would be Robert's party! It was the biggest party and the probability of them going there was high. He glanced at the time. Nine fifteen. It looked like he was going. He dashed out of his room, out of the hotel onto the street at a speed Jet would envy.


	12. Chapter 12 Gajeel's POV

At 7, Gajeel walked to Edward's home. His tears, now dry. He would never admit to anyone he was crying. Especially in the arms of a little girl. He felt so weak. "Never again," he promised to himself. He stopped in front of the large home. Levy and Lily were already there waiting for him. "You ok?" she asked the tall man. He nodded. She went to hug him anyway. She turned her head up to him and smiled. Every part of Gajeel wanted to kiss her right there. But, he held back. It wasn't time for that. He broke away first, which only increased the concern on Levy's face. He smiled at her, hoping to calm her down a little bit. But, the gears were still turning in her head. They walked to the front door and knocked. Avery let them in. "Gajeel, go down the hall three doors. There is a place for you to change into the proper attire. Levy come with me please," Avery instructed when they came in. Gajeel stood there watching Levy leave. He then walked down the hall to the room where Avery instructed him to go. He walked in and shut the door behind him. It was a bathroom. On the back of the door, there was a black and gray suit with a black tie.

On the mirror, there was a note of set instructions. It said to shower, get dress and then go to the hallway and have her get someone to do his hair. Gajeel rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Women" he thought. He followed the notes instructions anyway. He took the necklace out of his pocket carefully. He laid it down on the counter. He quickly got undressed and turned on the shower. He washed his hair thoroughly. He thought about what he was going to say. He realized that this wasn't giving up. It was standing up. It was being a man. God, he was turning into Elfman. He turned the water off. He got out and dried himself. Then, put on the suit. He wasn't going to deny it, he looked good. It almost gave him hope that maybe, just maybe he had a chance. He picked up the necklace and put it in his pocket. He looked at his reflection in the mirror one more time before leaving the room. He saw dark circles around his eyes. A symbol of lack of sleep. He never realized how bad it looked. "Not like I wanted it he thought to himself," Gajeel said out loud to no one. He stepped into the hallway. Avey was already there. She led him to another room. A man came in to do his hair. He slicked in back into a ponytail. He took a black tie to hold it all back.

It was 8 after Gajeel had finished getting ready. Levy was still upstairs to wherever Avery had led her to. There was a room adjacent to the hallway that was obviously a sitting area. Gajeel went it there and sat down. That's when Edward showed up. "Well," he said,"You cleaned up nicely." Gajeel grunted in response. Edward looked at the iron-dragon slayer,"Robert is also a dragon slayer you know." Gajeel looked at him in surprised. Edward took a seat right by Gajeel and continued. "We go far back Robert and I. I was his first friend and he was mine. He was an original dragon slayer. One of the dragon slayers that actually fought dragons. He never killed them. He could never bring himself to. He valued life. Mostly because he was used to seeing people die around him in the war he was in. I was right there beside him in that war. When we came home, we met Victoria. My wife. Robert fell in love with her immediately. I'm sure you know what that means,"Edward said turning to Gajeel. He nodded. No wonder Robert took that ring. He lost his mate. But, didn't want to lose everything about her.

Edward continued with his story,"I feel in love with her later then Robert. For some reason, she had decided to go with me. Ending my friendship with Robert. But, it had all honesty, it had ended sooner than that. But, we haven't spoken a word to each other after she chose this day, I don't know why she choose me. Or if she really did pick me over him." After he finished his story, he looked exhausted. Like telling that story drained everything out of him. "I hope she chooses you," Edward said. Gajeel was surprised again by this strange man. How did he know? Then again, it seems like everyone knew but her. Everyone in the guild, everyone in this town. "It shows that you love her,"Edward said. Answering the question Gajeel had on the tip of his tongue. The large man chuckled to himself. Edward got up,"I'll leave you to your thoughts." Then left the room. "It must show strongly,"Gajeel thought. Part of that thought made him happy. He didn't want the fact he loves Levy to be hidden. He just didn't want to show how deep it ran. He didn't want to get hurt. But, most of all, he didn't want Levy to get hurt. He felt that if he showed too much, he would hurt her in some way. That was far from what he wanted.

A wonderful scent hit his nose. Drawing him out of his thoughts. He looked up to the staircase. There was Levy. She was slightly taller, thanks to the heels black heels she was wearing. She was wearing a light gray dress with black lace on the top and on the trim in the bottom. Her hair was put back in a slightly messy bun except for two strands that framed her face. The sight of her drew all air out of Gajeel's lungs. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Pantherlily was also looking sharp. All he wore was a simple black tie. But his fur was gleaming like it was freshly washed. It probably was. "Ready to go?"Avery asked, drawing Gajeel back to reality. He nodded. Avery led them to the car. After Gajeel and Levy had gotten in the back, Avery said,"Good luck." "Thank you," Levy said with a smile. The maid smiled back and closed the car door. As the car took off, she waved.

Before the car took off, Pantherlily sat in the front. He knew about Gajeel's plan. He wanted to give him space to tell her. "Levy? Can I talk to you?"Gajeel asked. She nodded. "I have been wanting to tell you this for a long time, but I love you," Gajeel said simply. He wasn't good with words, so he kept it simple. She looked at him with wide eyes. A slight blush coming to her face. "I…I love you too Gajeel," she said quietly,"I'm sorry I didn't realize it before…" Now, it was Gajeel's turn for his face to go slightly red. He smiled. "It's ok shrimp, my feelings for you have only grown stronger. I have loved you for a long time. And I will continue to love you." At this point, Levy's eyes were watering as she was smiling. She reached her hand up to Gajeel's face,"I will love you forever and always. He smiled and dipped down to kiss her lips. The was a spark as soon as their lips met for the first time. Gajeel drew back in surprise, only to return. They both drew away. Gajeel reached into his pocket to pull out the necklace. "This is for you," Gajeel said. Levy's eyes started to water again as she smiled. She turned her neck to him to let him put it on her. He put it on her slowly. When he finally clasped it shut, she turned around to him again. She reached up in her seat to hug his neck tightly. "Thank you," she said. "For what?" he asked. "For you. For teaching me to be brave. For making me big," the bluenette said. Gajeel drew her of and placed her on his lap. The car stopped."Thank you, Levy. For your forgiveness. Your happiness. And your love. For staying by my side" Then, one last time before getting out of the car, he kissed her softly.


	13. Chapter 13 Pantherlily's POV

Lily was happy to see Gajeel this way. It seemed like the weight of the world was finally of the man's shoulders. When they had finally reached the party and got out of the car, Lily was so happy to see the necklace on Levy. She was practically glowing with happiness. Her eyes shined brightly at Gajeel. While Gajeel's crimson eyes were full of pure happiness. Gajeel got out of the car first to help Levy out of the vehicle. When they were got out, the hugged each out. They stayed that way for a good minute. Pantherlily watched the happy couple. There was almost a tear in his eyes. Almost. But, the proud exceed would never admit to that.

Gajeel and Levy broke apart and started to walk, hand in hand, to the front door. Lily walked right beside them. That's when Levy held her hand out to Lily. He looked surprised, but she simply smiled. He turned into his big form and held her hand. They entered the room. A butler stopped them. "Names?" he asked politely. "Gajeel and Levy Redfox," Levy told the butler. Gajeel smiled. He loved that she said that, even if it was just an act. Pantherlily watched his friend, nearly laughing at his slightly blushed face. It seemed the butler noticed too. "Newly wedded?" he asked politely. Gajeel nodded his head. Pantherlily again snickered. He was going to enjoy this. Seeing his best friend in an odd mix of both discomfort and joy.

The trio walked into the ballroom. There was at least 100 people in the room. All, had guild marks. There were mages from Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, and several others. But, Pantherlily didn't recognize a single mage. Many couples were dancing. The song was a bit of an upbeat tune. Levy wanted to walk around, meet new people. But, when did she not. Dragging Gajeel behind her (with Lily's help), brought the trio to a group of other guest. They nodded at the three. "Hello, My name is Levy Redfox. And this is my husband, Gajeel," Levy said. Introducing herself and the dragon slayer. "And I am Pantherlily," Lily said. Introducing himself. "It's a pleasure to met you three," said a woman in a sparkling red dress. "I am Isabelle. This is my husband Gregory." Pointing to an older man in a black and purple suit. He nodded his head with a smile. They both had Lamia Scale guild marks in their shoulders. "Pardon me for asking, but are you two new weds?" Gregory asked. Levy smiled,"Yes, yes we are." She looked up at Gajeel who smiled one of the largest smile Lily had ever seen. Pantherlily changed into his small form and flew up to Levy's arms. She hugged him and brought him close. "Brat," Gajeel muttered. Isabelle and Gregory laughed. "What magic do you two practice?"Isabelle asked. "Well, I'm an Iron dragon-slayer. And Shrimp here is a solid script mage," Gajeel responded. The Lamia Scale members looked shocked. Pantherlily started laughing at their faces. Levy smacked him lightly on his head. After recovering from their shock, Gregory answered his wife question,"Isabelle is card magic user and I have wind magic."

The two couple continued to have small talk. They would laugh, and continued to talk. Lily was enjoying himself extremely. These two seemed to be extremely kind and funny. That's when Levy had to ruin the fun. "Do you know we're is the bathroom,"she asked. Isabelle answered,"Just down the hall,"She pointed to the nearest hallway,"Take a right and there is a sign marked women's." Levy said her thanks and started to walk away. Gajeel eyes followed her as she walked away. "You two have been through a lot haven't you," Gregory asked,"Pardon myself for asking." "Yeah. She has saved my life so many times. She saved me from myself,"Gajeel responded. His voice trailing off. Still looking at the hallway that Levy disappeared into. Pantherlily looked at his friend with concern. "Well, are they serving any kiwi,"Pantherlily asked? Desperately trying to change the subject. Knowing only how to well how broken the strong man really was. Isabelle laughed,"There isn't any kiwi. I'm sorry."

They continued with their piety small talk for about 10 minutes. Pantherlily looked at Gajeel as to remind him about the plan. He nodded to the exceed. "Where are the bathrooms again? My wife should be out here by now,"Gajeel asked the other couple. Isabelle repeated her directions to Gajeel. Pantherlily and Gajeel walked quickly, side by side, to the bathrooms. Anxious to start the plan as soon as possible. There was Levy, waiting for them. Gajeel gave her a hug. Pantherlily stood back watching the pair. He pulled out the map. He motioned to the two to come over with him and look over the plan. After reviewing the plan, Pantherlily asked,"Ready?" They both nodded. They started to walk down the hall. As they almost reached the office, a certain golden- haired person came into the picture.

Immediately, Lily turned into his big form. He was really starting to hate Hibiki. Levy looked him right on the eye,"What do you want?" Hibiki grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Gajeel's side. On instinct, Lily stepped in between Hibiki and Levy, breaking the hold Hibiki had on Levy. "Get away from him Levy! Please!" Hibiki cried to Levy. "He is a monster! He murdered innocent people. For no reason! He is a complete villain! I have seen images of the bodies of the people he had killed." In a flash of an eye, Lily saw pictures of people's horribly mutilated bodies with the Phantom Lord's symbol written on them in iron. He let out a cry of shock. What were these images he was seeing? Was this Gajeel's doing? He turned to his best friend. The amount of pain in his friend's eye told him enough. This was his doing. He had killed these people. And this was the aftermath of it. The images he was seeing… He turns to see Levy. His eyes showed a picture of every emotion that was playing inside her right then. Pain, disbelief, and a broken heart.


	14. Chapter 14 Levy's POV

Levy never asked Gajeel about his past. She never felt comfortable invading his private life like that. And right now, she was glad that she never had. After hearing what Hibiki said, she felt her heart break into a million pieces. "No!" she screamed inside her head,"That wasn't Gajeel! It just could be him. Gajeel was good!" He protected her. Made her feel safe. Those images Hibiki had sent to her head. Piece by piece seemed to break. She turned her head to Lily. He was obviously in as much pain as she was because of this. She turned around to look at Gajeel. He was in pain. She wanted to throw her arms around him, to comfort him. But, she was rooted in place. Gajeel met her eyes with his crimson ones. "I'm sorry you found out like this. I'm not going to deny doing this. There is more to the story if ya wanta hear. But, I can understand not wanting to be around me anymore," Gajeel said slowly. He turned to walk away. Levy tried to get the word that were burning in the back of her throat out. She wanted to run to him. To tell him that she knew he had changed. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get up. She couldn't speak. Lily seemed to be in the same situation. The two watched Gajeel walk away, defeated. Tears started to fill Levy's face. Hibiki took her face in his hands.

"It's ok," He said,"You don't have to be around that monster anymore." Levy snapped. She jumped out of her frozen state. "Bastard! I told you that if you ever called him a monster, you will never see me again. I'm keeping that promise,"She nearly yelled at Hibiki. He took a few steps back in shock. She looked as scary as Mira in Satan Soul form. In response, he sent the article of Gajeel pinning Levy and her two friends on the tree to her mind. That only pissed her off so much more. Now, Lily was pissed as well. He swung his arm out to hit Hibiki's face. Smiling when it made contact. That is when an older gentlemen stepped into the room. Lily, Hibiki, and Levy stopped. He had greying hair and bright yellow eyes. But, like Edward, filled with a constant pain. Only better hidden with years of practice. "I like to introduce myself. I am Robert Jones,"The man said calmly. Like it was totally normal for a fight between a mage and an exceed to break out in his halls. Robert turned his face and smiled at Levy, knowing the position she was in. Levy connected the dots. He was there the entire time they had met Hibiki in the hall. "Levy, is it? Go after your dragon slayer. He is who you need. You are correct, he has changed. Hibiki here is just jealous," Robert said calmly. Like he was giving directions.

Hibiki looked at the old man in shock. If anyone was going to be on his side he thought it was going to be Robert.

Lily nodded to the man, thankful. Seeing that the man had seen past his friend's appearance. To the person underneath.

Levy looked at Robert. Tears started to fill her eyes. "Thank you," She said to the man. She went up to give him a hug. "Here, have this," Robert said. He handed her a ring. Victoria's ring. "Put it on, and you can see the truth in each person's words. It was why it was Victoria's favorite ring. She always hated being lied to.." Robert said, his voice trailing off in the distance. Levy nodded her head to the kind, old man. Then, she started to run. She ran with a new type of strength that she never had before. She ran straight to the train station. Knowing Gajeel probably went straight home. She took the first train to Magnolia. It was about midnight when she got there. She first took off to Gajeel's place. She went inside the small home and found a note. It was left for Pantherlily. She read it anyway. "I'm at the tree. Tell Levy to stay away from me. Not that she would want to be around after that anyway," Levy said, reading the note out loud. "No way in hell is that happening,"she thought. She, again, started running. This time to the park. To the tree that she once hung from. There was Gajeel alright. Staring up at the tree with pure hate, smoking a cigarette. She knew that he knew she was here. He could smell her. She walked up to him and swung her small arms around his chest. She hugged tightly. Not wanting to let go. Gajeel turned his eyes down to met Levy's hazel ones. He started to cry. He hugged her back tightly.

After a bit, Levy walked Gajeel back to his home. They were both tired. When they got to Gajeel's, Levy sat down. Tired after all the running. "I never wanted to hurt anyone," Gajeel said softly. "He was going to kill him if I didn't." Levy looked up to the iron dragon slayer in confusion. He continued," Jose was an evil man. When I first join the guild, I refused to kill anyone. Then they got ahold of him. My son." Levy got up from her chair to where Gajeel was standing. She sat on the floor right in front of him. "He wasn't really my son. I found the kid on his own. He was only like 4 or 5 at the time and I decided to take him in. One day, he called me dad. And it stuck. I did my best to raise him in secret. But, Jose found out. He took him and forced me to kill…" At this point, Gajeel was a mess. He fell to the floor. Levy went to sit on his lap so she could hug him. Clearly wanting to finish the story he continued to speak,"Juvia join the guild and found out. We decide to figure out a way to get my son and run. Jose found out and beat my son. Right in front of me. And I couldn't do anything. I still remember his screams. After that, I killed less and less. And thought more and more about killing myself. I tried once. They Jose just beat me. Then my child. That's when I had to attack you. And I couldn't kill you. Jose just killed my son." When he finish, he put his head in his hand. Hating looking this weak.

"What was his name?" Levy asked. "Mason,"Gajeel responded. With that, Levy stood up. She pulled Gajeel up. She took his hand and lead him to the bedroom. She crawled into his bed, not wanting to do anything, but comfort him. He crawled into bed understanding that this wasn't a call for sex, but just to help him sleep tonight. He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled into his chest. They fell asleep. And for the first time in years, no nightmares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 years later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two had been dating for three years now. Levy was completely moved into Gajeel's place. They had shared many memories, good and bad. They had never really fought once. Everyone in the guild was making bets on when Gajeel would grow the ball to propose. Hibiki had found a new love and was happily staying away from Gajeel. Pantherlily rather liked the fact Levy was staying with Gajeel and himself. Everything seemed quiet and at peace for once. Making it the perfect time.

The couple was walking around the town when they found themselves in front of a bookstore. Levy being Levy insisted on going in. Gajeel looked around at the books, not really interested. Levy, on the other hand, looked like she was in heaven and met God. Her face was bright with joy and happiness. She was at one bookcase and saw a book she wanted. It was on the top shelf. She went to grab Gajeel. She tugged him to the bookcase with the book she wanted. Levy pointed up to it. Gajeel grunted and grabbed the book. But, being mischievous, kept it out of Levy's reach. She glared at him but jumped up to get the book anyways. Gajeel kept it just out of her reach. "Let's make a deal," Gajeel said,"I'll give you this book if y'all marry me." Levy looked at Gajeel. He was smiling like crazy. Looking down at her with bright eyes. She started to cry and laugh at the same time. "You have yourself a deal," she said. He gave her the book and bent down on one knee. He took out a velvet box. He opened it to show a small, iron ring band. With a sapphire stone in the middle, that was the color of Levy's hair. He put it on her hand and pulled her into a giant hug.


	15. Chapter 15 Wedding

It was the big day. Gajeel and Levy had been planning this day for over a year around the jobs they did. Lily was the priest. While, surprisingly, Natsu was Gajeel's best man and Lucy was obviously the maid of honor.

Levy's P.O.V

A group of frantic, giggling girls were all cramped into one apartment filled with books. Owned by one especially frantic, blue - haired bride. A beautiful blonde bombshell trying to calm her down but taking away the third cup of espresso in her hands and into the beautiful wedding dress waiting for the owner. After all, all the bridesmaids were already in the simple, elegant grey bridesmaid gowns. The bridesmaid's gown was floor length dress. A strip of ribbon when across the waist with a small design in the front. The top half was lace with an underpart that had sleeves and the color when up the top of the wearer's collarbones. It nicely complimented the bride's elegant, white dress. With lace sleeves and collar, it had a small strand of beads under the breast. The dress slightly hugged but kept the body in a straight line. The lace continued all the way down to the floor. Overall, the white gown gave off a very vintage look. Again, there was a problem. The beautiful, small bride wasn't in it. "Levy! You have to get ready!" The same blonde said who took away Levy's coffee. "Lu-Chan! Give me my coffee back!" The tiny bluenette cried. A woman with white hair pulled the bride away from the caffeinated beverage. "Levy, please," she said gently. "We know you're scared, but get in the dress and go marry the man of your dreams." Levy stopped struggling and smiled at the woman who was holding her. "Your right Mira. I need to stop stressing and get on with it." Mira let Levy go. From there Levy walked to her beautiful gown. With the help of her 6 bridesmaids and the little flower girl, Levy was ready in less than an hour. With her usually crazy mane of hair tied in a low loose bun. Two strands of wavy hair framing her face. A light coat of mascara applied, along with lipstick and concealer.

Gajeel's P.O.V

The groom was walking in straight line, constantly turning in his heels to go back the same way. A male with surprisingly pink hair was seated not too far from him with a baby boy in his lap with the same blonde hair as his mother. "Come on man," the salmon colored hair man said. "I was the same way before I got married, but look where I am now." The man bent his neck down to kiss the baby's forehead. The anxious groom stopped walking and smiled at his friend and his goddaughter. "You're right Natsu. I love Shrimp. And I've been wanting to do this forever now," the tall groom said. Running his hand through the wild mane he had that was tied down to make a huge, long, low ponytail. Natsu smiled as another man came in the room. This one had the groom's suit on, except for the shirt. The deal the groom made with him to keep the stripper to go down to his boxers. "Yo Gajeel! Time to get this show on the road," the spiky-haired man said. A wedding ring shining on his left hand. "Alright, I'm coming," Gajeel called out. After all, his two best friends minus his cat was already married. It was his turn now. The raven haired dragon slayer walked down the aisle before his beloved bride and waited along the aisle. The music began to play. Natsu and his blonde wife, Lucy walked down the aisle first. Happy held their baby son. Next came Grey and his wife Juvia. Gajeel's only friend from his days in Phantom Lord. Next was the guild's bartender Mira with the guild's leader's grandson, Laxus. Followed by a drinker, Bacchus and Fairy Tail's drunk, Cana. After those two was sweet Lisanna and sort of scary Bixslow. Finally, the huge man, Elfman and his girl, Evergreen walked down. Finally, the cute bluenette dragon slayer walked down. Throwing flower petals on the floor right before the bride made an entrance being walked down the aisle by her two childhood friends.

Pantherlily P.O.V

The priest at this wedding was an exceed. Not just any, but the warrior one himself. Gajeel's black cat. He swelled with pride as soon as his friend took his wife to be hand's and waited for him to start. "Today, we are gathered to witness the long-awaited marriage of two important people of our family. The two has written their own vows, so now please recite what you have written," the black cat said. First Gajeel went. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Levy, I love you more then what all the stars in the universe are worth. All I want to ever do is protect you and keep you the happy ball of sunshine that you are. Even if that meant reading the damn dictionary." That comment earned a giggle from the crowd. Gajeel smiled before going onwards. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. With locks drawn from the sky and eyes of a gorgeous hazel, I will ever know. On top of that, you are smart and quick. Even if you tease me, I love your wit. And, your bravery. Before meeting you, I never knew such a small thing could be so brave. But, you prove to me that being strong for your friends can happen anywhere and is found in even the smallest of sizes. I want to thank you for saving my life time and time again. Not just the battlefield. But also my heart and soul. I love you Levy Redfox. Now and into eternity."

Tears began to fill the eyes of the crowd and the bride and groom. Levy cleared her throat to start her vows. "You are the best part of my life. Ever since you joined Fairy Tail, you have brought a new sort of excitement to my life. Of course like anyone else, we have had fights. Almost to the point we didn't want to see each other, but every time, we have got passed that. And we will continue to do so till the day death due us apart. I am more then happy at the fact I get to spend the rest of my life with you Gajeel Redfox. You are the man of my dreams. I want to buy a house together, raise a family together, and grow old together. I know we may clash heads in the future, but I don't care. I love you Gajeel Redfox. Now and forever. And nothing will ever change that." A single tear of joy rolled down the bride's face. Gajeel wiped it away softly. "Now may the ring bearer come up," Pantherlily called out. A teenage boy with a bit crazy, dark hair came up. Before taken one of the rings, Gajeel ruffled the boy's head. "Thanks Romeo," he said before taking a light iron wedding ring and slipping in on Levy's slim finger. Levy turned to smile at Romeo before taking the bigger ring and placing it on Gajeel's finger.

"You may kiss the bride and pronounce yourselves husband and wife," Pantherlily said. Never happier.

Gajeel leaned down while Levy went up a bit and tilted to the side till the lips touched. Two seconds later, the two parted from the sweetest kiss in their lifetime. Tears lightly steamed from both of their faces. The crowd of friends and family that surrounded the newly wedded couple cheered out of happiness and contentment.


End file.
